(Credit: Amazon)
Amazon will host an event on Feb. 26 that may include the launch of a revamped Alexa the company has been teasing for more than a year.
Amazon typically holds an event each fall to launch its latest Echo devices ahead of the holiday shopping season, but this month's event in New York City appears poised to focus more on software. It will be hosted by SVP Panos Panay, who jumped ship from Microsoft in 2023, and the Amazon Devices & Services team.
At first glance, the invitation doesn’t seem to give much away. It features Amazon’s smile logo above "You're invited" and the date of the event. There's a blue background with lighter-color looping script, which matches the blue glow of Alexa.
As The Verge notes, Amazon sent out five different invites that all feature different parts of the looping script. When they're placed next to each other, they spell out "Alexa" in the background. PCMag's invite appears to include the "X."
Amazon first teased a revamped, AI Alexa at its fall event in 2023 and was supposed to release it the following year. However, the launch date was reportedly pushed to 2025. Reuters reports that the product is finally ready for launch and can converse with users and respond to multiple prompts in a sequence.
It can also act as an “agent” and autonomously take actions on the user’s behalf. It is also designed to remember user preferences and provide music or restaurant recommendations accordingly. To enable all of these features, Amazon might rely on Anthropic’s AI models.
The improved voice assistant will be made available on all Alexa-compatible devices, sources tell Reuters. It will likely be free at launch for a limited number of users before Amazon charges a monthly subscription fee of $5 to $10 at a later date. To avoid confusion, the non-AI Alexa may be called "Alexa Classic."
Things have not been finalized yet, Reuters adds. A high-level internal meeting scheduled for Feb. 14, known as “Go/No-go,” will decide the offerings at the Feb. 26 event.
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